Citizens in hunt for tidy town title

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Dick Olesinski smells the roses in tidy Heywood. The town's children start learning about the environment in kindergarten.Photo: Paul Harris

For the past two days judge Dick Olesinski has swept a keen eye
over Heywood, a small town in the state's south-west, attempting to
achieve what only one other Victorian town has ever done before:
win the title of the nation's tidiest town.

The only Victorian town to have taken the national title was
Horsham, in 2001. But Mr Olesinski, the sole judge of Australian
Tidy Towns, said Heywood's chances were "very, very high" in a
competition that is not as simple as it seems.

"It's not just about picking up rubbish," said Mr Olesinski, who
carries a camera instead of white gloves. "It's really about a
community becoming sustainable."

The judging is the last step for the town, named Victoria's
tidiest in October, in the Keep Australia Beautiful competition
that began with more than 1000 entrants and is now down to seven
state champions, including Gulargambone near Dubbo, NSW, and
Atherton in Queensland.

Mr Olesinski said the winner, to be announced in April, would
not necessarily be the prettiest.

"One of the slogans I've used for a while is 'Doing the best
with what you've got'," he said. "Gulargambone last week was 50
degrees and today we're being blown off into Portland."

Despite the wind, Mr Olesinski was impressed with the
community's efforts to meet some seven judging categories,
including litter and waste management, environmental innovation and
"young legends", recognising environmental enterprise by young
people.

Joy Benbow, who co-ordinated Heywood's entry, accompanied by a
submission as big as a phone book, insisted no special preparations
were made before Mr Olesinski flew in from his Adelaide base.

The town, she said, was always clean - a result of competing in
tidy towns competitions for 21 years.

"We don't need to pick up litter because it's never there; it's
our magic act," said Ms Benbow, who organised a two-day tour for Mr
Olesinski.

We don't need to pick up litter because it's never there.'
- Joy Benbow, town resident

"I'm a greenie," said 15-year-old Gracie Jefcoate, one of two
newly appointed environmental monitors at Heywood and District
Secondary College, responsible for keeping the school clean,
recycling and looking after the chooks.

It's a highly sought-after position that Ms Benbow said was a
result of children being given a clear message about the
environment that began with colouring in anti-littering pictures at
kindergarten.

Elaine Evans, who steered the town to a section win in its first
tidy town tilt in 1983, said the nature of the game had changed
from simply planting trees to a way of life.

This would have pleased Mr Olesinski, who said the competition
rules were like a blueprint for how towns should operate, with
environmental protection and innovation critical.

But he will still have a peek in the public toilets. "Just to
see if it's dual flush," he said.